Samoa

Hi everyone,

We've spent a week in Samoa.  What a friendly and beautiful place!  We spent the first few days exploring Apia and replenishing supplies - particularly propane, diesel and water.  Then we hired a car with the sv Southern Wings for a day tour of the island.  And yesterday (Sunday) we visited the early morning pre-church markets.

Lava coast

Replenishing supplies was simple.  We filled our water jerries at the marina, our diesel jerries at a local service station (via taxi) and our empty gas bottle at the local depot (also via taxi).  The supermarkets here aren't large but they had everything we needed except - strangely - cartons of fruit juice.  It's always good to have full stocks aboard.

Apia is a pretty town and kept very tidy.  The main churches are very impressive.

Apia catholic cathedral

Apia roundabout

Our hire car tour around the island was great fun.  The entire island is neat and tidy.  CHOGM (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting) was held here in October last year and the whole island is still painted in the colours of Commonwealth nations.  We spent most time in the national park on the south side of the island.  The coastal walk is very nice with a spectacular lava coastline and many arches and small islands.  The latter reminded us of the Apostles in Victoria but these are all volcanic lava.  Driving over the hills was spectacular too.

Coastal driving

Colourful villages

Many churches

Walking the national park's Coastal Path

At the coast

Jungle!

One of many lava arches

Lava islands, also with arches

Blowholes

Lava coast

The Ma Tree in the national park

Park with waterfall

In the hills

Every Sunday the fish market and fruit'n'veg market run from 0500 to 0700.  It allows everyone to stock up for their after-church Sunday feast.

Fish Market

Colourful fish

Farmer's market

Breadfruit

While in Apia we had sundowners on SVs Southern Wing, Freeranger and Traveller IV.  Twas a very social time.

OCC get-together on sv Freeranger

This morning we cleared-out and will depart late this evening towards Niuatoputapu, aka "new potatoes".  That's the northernmost port of entry in Tonga.  It'll be a 185nm passage and we'll take it slow to arrive after dawn on Wednesday.

Trust all's well where you are.